SSA bans Fox News, MSNBC, CNN on boats to keep the peace

Friday

Jan 26, 2018 at 4:01 PMJan 26, 2018 at 4:03 PM

Joshua Balling I&M Staff Writer @JBallingIM

(Jan. 25, 2018) In the interest of on-board harmony, the Steamship Authority has decided to keep cable news shows off its vessels’ televisions, sticking to less politically-charged programming like sports, weather, food and local news.

SSA general manager Bob Davis told the boat line board of governors at its monthly meeting in Woods Hole last Tuesday that New England Cable News will be displayed in the boat line’s ticket offices and Boston channels on the ferries during local-news broadcasts.

Other acceptable programming includes “local sports, including Patriots and Red Sox games; national sports, such as ESPN broadcasts or nationally-televised NFL games; the Weather Channel, the Food Network or the Discovery Channel,” Davis said.

The SSA first issued guidelines for what could be shown on its onboard televisions five years ago, which included cable news stations, but the nation’s recent highly-charged political climate since the presidential election of Donald Trump has again brought the issue to the forefront.

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